Babbel vs LingQ: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 6 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order.
LingQ if you want to learn from real videos and text.
| Question | Babbel | LingQ |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $119.99 a year for all 52 languages, or $14.99 month to month |
| A lesson is | 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. | Read and listen to a text or podcast, tapping unknown words to save and review them. |
| Try it | The first lesson of every course is free. | Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 755,567 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 10,317 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1 million ratings | 4.5 out of 5 from 50,821 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Babbel: course app
LingQ: immersion app
Side by side
| Compare | Babbel | LingQ |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 | — |
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $119.99 a year for all 52 languages, or $14.99 month to month |
| What it is | Course app: Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions | Immersion (video, reading): Read and listen to real content, save words, review them |
| Per month at annual billing | $8.95/mo ($107.40 a year) | $10/mo ($119.99 a year) |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | $14.99 |
| Lifetime plan | $299.99 once, all languages | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist |
| Languages offered | 14 | 52 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | — |
| Live tutoring | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | — |
| Offline mode | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | Yes |
| Placement test | Yes · Spanish, French, Italian and German | — |
| Refund or trial | Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules. | Full refund during the first 30 days of an initial Premium subscription; no partial-month or unused-month refunds afterward. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany | LingQ Languages Ltd., Canada |
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$107.40 a year $8.95 a month, billed yearly$17.99 on the monthly plan
Short dialogues and grammar notes help you understand why a sentence works. Speaking exercises let you practise saying it aloud before you need it in conversation.
LingQ
Immersion (video, reading)
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and offline use, weakest on speaking practice.
$119.99 a year $10 a month, billed yearly$14.99 on the monthly plan
Read and listen to material that interests you, then save unfamiliar words to practise later. It suits learners who want more real content alongside a structured course.
Babbel is a course app and LingQ is an app for real video and text. Both teach French, Spanish, German, Italian and 10 more languages.
Which to choose
You want a course with lessons in order
Babbel
Babbel is a course app: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises.
You want to learn from real videos and text
LingQ
LingQ is an app for real video and text: read and listen to a text or podcast, tapping unknown words to save and review them.
You would rather pay once than subscribe
Babbel
Babbel can be bought once and kept: $299.99 once, all languages. LingQ's paid plans are subscriptions.
You want to learn without paying
LingQ
LingQ has a free account with limits; Babbel gives only its first lessons free. What each free route includes is in the table above.
Where they really differ
- Price: Babbel: $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month. LingQ: $119.99 a year for all 52 languages, or $14.99 month to month.
- A lesson: Babbel: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. LingQ: Read and listen to a text or podcast, tapping unknown words to save and review them.
- A real person: Babbel has no live tutors. LingQ doesn't mention live tutors.
- Levels: Babbel states CEFR levels A1 to C1. LingQ doesn't state CEFR levels.
- Speaking: Babbel listens to you speak. LingQ doesn't say whether it listens to you speak.
- Trying it: Babbel: The first lesson of every course is free. LingQ: Free account capped at 20 saved words and phrases, 5 lessons created from imported content, and 1 audio playlist.
- Both: Work offline.
Plans and prices
Babbel
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 monthsSold as "Save 50%" against $215.40, which is twelve months at the monthly price. Apple's US App Store sells the same plan for $107.99. | Annual | $107.40 | $8.95/mo | all languages |
| 3-month plan (iOS in-app purchase)Apple's US App Store price for one language. | Every 3 months | $45.99 | $15.33/mo | one language |
| 1-month plan (iOS in-app purchase)Apple's US App Store price for one language. | Monthly | $17.99 | $17.99/mo | one language |
| LifetimeBabbel sells Lifetime for less during sales: a Labor Day sale offered it for $199. | Lifetime | $299.99 | one-time | all languages |
LingQ
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 MonthsPremiumMarked "Best Value", 40% off. | 24 months | $215.76 | $8.99/mo | all languages |
| 12 MonthsPremiumMarked "Most Popular", 33% off. | Annual | $119.99 | $10/mo | all languages |
| 1 MonthPremiumLingQ also runs sales of up to 45% off; these are the prices on its pricing page. | Monthly | $14.99 | $14.99/mo | all languages |
| 12 MonthsPremium PlusMarked "Most Popular", 25% off. | Annual | $269.99 | $22.50/mo | all languages |
| 1 MonthPremium PlusPremium Plus adds more audio transcription, AI voices, advanced Lynx chat and AI-simplified lessons. | Monthly | $29.99 | $29.99/mo | all languages |
What will Babbel cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$108.48 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $107.40.
What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: all languages.
Questions people ask
Is Babbel better than LingQ?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order, to pay once rather than subscribe, more speaking practice and a course that states its CEFR levels. Choose LingQ if you want to learn from real videos and text, a free account to learn on and more languages to choose from. In our comparison, Babbel is strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier, and LingQ strongest on the number of languages and offline use, weakest on speaking practice.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or LingQ?
Babbel costs less by the year: $107.40 for all 14 languages, where a year of LingQ is $119.99 for all 52 languages. Month to month, and with any lifetime plan, the plans tables above give both.
Do Babbel and LingQ teach the same languages?
Babbel lists 14 languages and LingQ 52, each counting varieties its own way; 14 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.